An Edwardian Oval on Howland Avenue

These Edwardian ovals are an important part of Toronto’s history. Just after 1900, as electrification filled the city with new forms of light, stained glass was very out of fashion. This kind, with some textured glass and a yellow border, survived this change of taste. It is like how birds survived from the dinosaurs. The last spiritually Victorian windows are made in the early 1900s, and they look like this.

When I met this one, it was a mess.

It was more than an inch out of flat, and falling apart. It was so far from flat that I wondered if it had ever been flat. So I took it apart, cleaned it, and put it back together. Would it turn out flat? I had no idea.

I was quite shocked when it turned out flat.
I didn’t think it would.

It turned out to be beautifully cut, and it went back together as strong as a plank. It’s like a shield now. My lasting mystery is, why did it fall apart in the first place?